I am pleased to transmit legislation and supporting documents
prepared by my Administration to implement the United States-Morocco
Free Trade Agreement (the "Agreement" or the "FTA"). This Agreement
enhances our bilateral relationship with a longstanding partner in the
North Africa and Middle East region. The Agreement will benefit the
people of the United States and Morocco, illustrating to other
developing countries the advantages of open markets.

This Agreement is a strong demonstration of my Administration's
commitment to opening markets, leveling the playing field, and
expanding opportunities for American workers, manufacturers,
businesses, farmers, and consumers. In negotiating this Agreement, my
Administration was guided by the negotiating objectives set out in the
Trade Act of 2002. The Agreement will expand Morocco's market for U.S.
manufactured goods, agricultural products, services, and investment.
As soon as this Agreement enters into force, tariffs will be eliminated
on virtually all manufactured goods traded between our countries.

The Agreement provides U.S. producers of beef, poultry, wheat,
corn, soybeans, and other agriculture products with increased access to
Morocco's market, while complementing Morocco's agriculture reform
program. In addition, the Agreement provides the opportunity for U.S.
producers to adjust to increased imports from Morocco, if necessary.

New opportunities for U.S. services firms will be opened, U.S.
investment will be protected, and U.S. companies will be able to
participate in government procurement opportunities on the same basis
as Moroccan firms. This Agreement has some of the strongest
intellectual property protections ever contained in a U.S. trade
agreement with a developing country.

The United States and Morocco have agreed to cooperate on
environment and labor issues and to establish mechanisms supporting
those efforts. Negotiation of this Agreement has promoted adoption of
a new labor law in Morocco. This Agreement has also helped lead to
improved domestic environmental laws in Morocco, and a number of
additional cooperative projects have been identified for future work.

The approval of this Agreement will be another important step in
implementing our plan for a broader Middle East Free Trade Area.
Indeed, this Agreement offers the United States an opportunity to
encourage economic reform in a moderate Muslim nation, as we have done
with the Jordan FTA and the recently concluded Bahrain FTA. Leaders in
Morocco support a reformist and tolerant vision that includes free
parliamentary elections, the sale of state-owned businesses, the
encouragement of foreign investment that can be connected to
broad-based development, and better protection of the rights of women
and workers. It is strongly in the interests of the United States to
embrace these reforms and do what we can to encourage them. Passing
this Agreement is a critical step in that direction.